Legendary actress Viola Davis’s newest role sees her getting real about shingles as a GSK spokesperson, reminding others that anyone, even world-famous stars, have a risk of getting “shingles, actually" as they age.
In GSK’s educational “Shingles, actually” campaign, the “How to Get Away with Murder” star opens up about her personal experience with shingles for the first time, getting candid about the shingles-related realities of aging and encouraging other adults over 50 years old to discuss preventative options with their healthcare providers.
In a video for the campaign, Davis starts off with an earnest appeal to “everyone over 50,” encouraging the audience to reflect on “everything that’s brought you to this moment,” she says.
“Sure, you’ve heard of shingles and may think it won’t happen to you. I didn’t think so either. But don’t be like me,” she insists, explaining that 99% of adults aged 50 years and older already carry the virus that causes shingles.
Davis is a unique case in that she contracted shingles more than once. For her, the pain she experienced from shingles was a “9 out of 10.”
“I couldn’t go out, I couldn’t work,” she said.
In the video, Davis walks into a doctor’s office, where social media personality and family medicine physician Jen Caudle is explaining similar stats to a patient. Together, the two discuss how the immune system naturally weakens with age.
Later in the video, Davis meets with another shingles patient advocate, Phil, who shares his own experience with the painful rash before she continues her one-on-one chat with the camera about how “as you age, you have to be your own health advocate,” she explained, emphasizing that her message is “no script, no filters, just real talk.”
In another video, Davis and Caudle chat in a podcast setting in front of microphones, discussing similar themes and getting into the health risk of shingles in a candid tone. For Davis, shingles was “not on my radar,” and she was “completely caught off guard” by the rash and other effects, she said.
“We just need to be real with each other about what aging actually looks like. Our lives haven’t slowed down; we feel great, and we’re leaning in,” Davis commented in a GSK release. “But it’s still true that our age puts us at increased risk for certain things, like shingles. If one in three people develop shingles in their lifetime, why do we always think we won’t be the one?”
“Shingles, actually” and "myth-busting"
“Shingles, actually” is the second coming of “THRIVE@50+,” a previous GSK shingles campaign targeted at the 50 years old and up demographic that touted supermodel Brooke Shields as its primary spokesperson. The awareness push centered on aging and how shingles vaccination is one way people over 50 can “protect their power,” as Shields said in a three-minute film that went along with the campaign.
But, as GSK later found out, people wanted “real stories” about shingles and the realities of aging- “the good, the bad, the everything in between,” the company’s director of U.S. vaccines communications Abby Capobianco explained in an interview.
“Shingles, actually” accomplishes that goal with perhaps one of the most recognizable and respected voices out there in Davis. While she might not be inherently relatable, as most people don’t have the prestigious EGOT status by winning an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Oscar and Tony Award, Davis far and beyond “carries that gravity and that trust,” Capobianco said.
Aside from being a recognized face and voice, Davis sharing her story of contracting shingles goes to show that anyone can get shingles, even a world-famous actress.
In vaccine marketing, hearing immunization or preventative options encouraged by a trusted source is particularly important for increasing vaccination rates. As senior director of consumer experience and marketing Robert Johnstone puts it, hearing these experiences firsthand is what “drives action” and makes people “take their health seriously.”
GSK is pushing its “Shingles, actually” messaging through a dedicated Instagram channel that will provide regular videos on disease education through influential voices and shingles advocates. With over 6,000 followers so far, the page is so far hopping on viral trends such as the “pass the phone” challenge, featuring appearances from other GSK celebrity spokespeople like “Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis.
“Shingles, actually was inspired by all of you,” one Instagram caption reads. “We are creating the space for real and candid conversations about aging and the health risks we face, like shingles.”
Instagram and newer social media channels aren't typically considered a prime way to reach the over 50 year-old audience, but as it turns out, another reality of modern aging is that older adults are actually “very tuned in” to the platform, Capobianco said. To her point, Davis’ campaign video has racked up nearly 30,000 likes on GSK’s campaign Instagram page, with hundreds of comments chiming in to support, share personal shingles stories and even express newfound interest in getting vaccinated.
Additionally, GSK will run the hero video on YouTube, a “big, big platform” for its target audience, Capobianco noted. According to Pew Research Center, 85% of adults surveyed aged 50 to 64 in 2025 reported using YouTube, while 40% are on Instagram.
GSK’s campaign is “myth-busting” in a lot of ways, Johnstone noted, dispelling both the narrative that adults over 50 aren’t social media-savvy but also that they are “too young, too healthy” to get shingles.
“Most people are aware of shingles, but they underestimate the impact of shingles,” Johnstone explained. “Just helping to bring that to life for consumers, I think, is really important.”
At age 50, many are “taking control of their health narrative,” Capobianco said. “It’s important that health risks like shingles be included in that health narrative.”
GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix, which isn’t mentioned by name across “Shingles, actually,” is a strong driver of the company’s vaccine sales, amassing £1.9 billion ($2.5 million) in yearly sales as of this year’s second quarter, GSK reported in July.
Back in April, new CEO Luke Miels explained that the drugmaker is focusing on the subpopulation within the 70 million unvaccinated people above 50 who are “more motivated” with an “intent to get vaccinated,” he said on a quarterly earnings call.